JOHANNESBURG (AP) — People in Mauritius voted Sunday for a new parliament, with the ruling party seeking to secure a second five-year term for Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth in one of Africa’s most stable democracies.
Jugnauth’s government has recently come under criticism after banning social media websites following a wiretapping scandal in which recorded conversations with politicians, businesspeople, activists and journalists were leaked and published online. The ban was lifted after a few days but has raised concerns among the opposition and civil society.
Since Mauritius gained independence from Britain in 1968, at least 1 million people had been registered to vote in the twelfth election.
An alliance of parties led by Jugnauth’s center-left Militant Socialist Movement won a majority of seats in parliament to strengthen his leadership in 2019. He is being challenged by opposition leader Navin Ramgoolam’s Alliance for Change.
Located approximately 2,000 kilometers off the east coast of Africa, Mauritius has developed a successful economy supported by the financial, tourism and agricultural sectors.
The island, popular for its idyllic tropical beaches, ranks second in Africa after the Seychelles on the Human Development Index, which assesses the quality of life of its citizens and takes into account life expectancy, access to education and income per year. head of the population.
The World Bank has described Mauritius as a “beacon of success for sub-Saharan Africa” and says it has achieved remarkable economic growth since independence. It was briefly rated as a high-income country in 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic set back the tourism sector.
Mauritians vote for 62 seats in parliament, and the party or alliance with the majority forms the government and elects the prime minister. Another eight lawmakers are nominated by the Electoral Supervisory Council.
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